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Wheat

Hessian Fly

The adult hessian fly is an eigth of an inch long, dark in color, and resembles a gnat in appearance. Adults become active in fall and lay eggs on the surface of leaves (resembling leaf rust) on wheat seedlings. Hessian fly maggots hatch and move to the base of the plant where they feed between the leaf sheath and stem. Hessian fly overwinters as a pupa, which is termed 'flaxseed' because it is dark red and shaped like a flaxseed. Infested tillers typically die over the winter. Some adults emerge in spring and others emerge in the fall after pupa remain dormant over the summer.

Greenbug

Greenbugs are pale-green aphids with a darker green stripe down the center of the back. Greenbugs are typically found feeding on the underside of lower leaves. Feeding damage to wheat can occur in fall or spring, which is first observed as reddish spots around feeding sites. Damaged leaves eventually turn yellow, then reddish brown and eventually die. In the field, damage often appears as yellow or reddish-brown irregularly shaped patches that can spread to become almost field-wide.

 

Russian wheat aphid

The Russian wheat aphid (RWA) has a lime-green, football-shaped body with short antennae and short cornicles. The double-tail structure at the tip of the abdomen is characteristic of RWA. This aphid can be found in rolled leaves that are often streaked with purple and white lines. RWA can cause stunting of plants early in spring. As the infested plant grows, leaves may be seen with white and purpling streaking along with leaves that are rolled inward. RWA feeding often traps emerging heads, making them appeared hooked.